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October 20, 2012

And Now We Are Two: My Blogiversary

Today marks the second
anniversary of the day I mustered up my courage and pressed the “Publish” button
on my new blog for the first time. Does time fly, or what? In retrospect, I
needn’t have worried. I’m not sure anyone saw that first post except me.

After I got a couple more posts under my belt, I gathered my courage again and announced my blog to
Geneabloggers, which I envisioned as the Great All-Seeing Oz. I hadn’t yet met
the real Thomas MacEntee, the hard-working yet fun-loving face behind the
curtain. In fact, I hadn’t yet met a single genealogy blogger in person. I was
thrilled whenever a new icon popped up in my gallery of
“Followers” (confession: I still am). And I was even more thrilled when I began
to get comments from readers. Somehow, out of the vast arena of cyberspace, people
were actually seeing what I wrote, and taking the time to read it and respond.
Amazing!

Now, over 160 posts later, I
can honestly say I’m glad I took the plunge and started writing A Sense of Family. This blog has somehow
become part of who I am and what I do. It makes me happy when something I’ve
written connects with my family and friends. And it’s incredibly satisfying
when someone lets me know they’ve learned something from what I’ve written. I’ve
also met a lot of wonderful people through blogging, many of whom I now count
as good friends. And there are many others who I hope to meet in the future
when our paths eventually cross. In the meantime, we get to know one another
through our blogs, and through casual interactions on Facebook and Twitter.
It’s a great community, and one I’m glad to be part of.

Two years of blogging
certainly doesn’t make me an expert on anything, but I would like to offer a
bit of encouragement to any newer geneabloggers out there. And that’s simply to
keep writing and keep connecting with people. Write what you’re passionate
about, and your passion will draw others in. Go to genealogical seminars
and conferences and introduce yourself to people. Learn, and share about what
you learn. Read other blogs and leave comments when something connects with
you. In short, reach out, and don’t get discouraged over numbers or stats. Heck,
my stats aren’t going to impress anyone. But that’s not why I blog. I blog
because I like to share—my stories, my experiences, my thoughts, my discoveries,
and my journey into genealogy. It’s all about the journey.

I hope you’ll travel along
with me as I head into another year. Thank you, sweet readers!

Happy 2nd blogiversary to you, I just had my 3rd last week, so I still know the feeling about how quickly the time flies. Hopefully in this coming year you'll meetup with a few bloggers. Congratulations.

Thanks so much for your warm wishes, Jana! I really enjoy your blog, too, and find it hard to believe you've only been at it for 6 months--it's already become a staple of mine. It truly is a wonderful and supportive community, isn't it?

Woo-hoo! Congratulations!! Confetti!! Balloons!! Blow out that calendar. I absolutely understand your feelings as I started only this year blogging, and struggle to figure out what I'm doing and why. It's a huge treat to read comments or to see that people have +'d my blog on G+. The genealogy community is very encouraging and positive in so many ways. Happy 2nd Blogiversary - and many more!

What fun, Celia--I'll have to put you in charge of the party! I know what you mean about struggling to find a focus. I feel like mine is constantly evolving, too, so don't feel like you're alone in that. Thanks for reading and commenting, it means a lot to me!

Shelley, you have written such a friendly, comforting, and encouraging posts. I appreciate knowing how you felt when starting your blog, announcing it, getting comments, and connecting with people. I totally agree that this is a great community, and I'm also glad to be even just beginning to be a part of it. You write sincerely about what matters to you, and your blog is a pleasure to read. Congratulations!

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About the Author

I'm a family history researcher, writer, and blogger based in Central Ohio. A Sense of Family chronicles my journey into family history, and I'd love to have you read along. In the process, I hope to give you some tips and resources you can use to trace and record the stories of your own family. I also offer professional genealogy services at Buckeye FamilyTrees, where I specialize in researching Ohio ancestors.